The run that you feel in your loins.

In my younger days I played a bit of golf. I remember one day in spring practice my golf coach was going over proper grip, back swing and follow through. We were at a par 3 hole and had to hit the ball over a river to the green downhill. Nervously, I stepped up to the tee and adjusted my grip and stance. It was my turn to swing. I arced my 3 wood back and smoothly pushed it through to connect with the ball. BING! It hit the sweet spot. The ball beautifully lofted up and over the river and plopped down softly 3 inches from the hole. It. Was. Epic. I remember my coach saying, “And that right there is why we play golf. You can take a thousand bad swings, but that one great one will keep you coming back. You felt it in your loins didn’t you?” I had. It was such an amazing feeling. Like for one instance, I had experienced totally and complete perfection.

While you don’t have a club in your hands when you run, you can still experience hitting that sweet spot while running. You know the run. The one where everything just clicks. You get in the zone. You start cruising along. Your legs feel like they’re flying. You find your rhythm and then you look down at your pace watch. “Damn! I’m killing my pace today!” The run feels like perfection. You feel it in your loins.

Those are the runs that we live for. Those are the runs that keep us coming back for more. That right there is why we run.

I had one of those this week. I’ve been struggling for a while to find my running mojo and get back my love of running. I’ve been doing several short distance runs trying to find my pace and running self. On Tuesday’s run I found it. Or maybe it found me. It was just a 5 miler but it was a 5 miler without stopping. It was a 5 miler almost 40 seconds off my current average pace. It was a 5 miler where my body didn’t feel beat up and tired. I saw some of the old me in that run. There was a spark of the old runner I used to know. Just like that sweet spot connect in golf, that run has me coming back for more! I can’t wait to lace my shoes up and head out the door. In constant pursuit of another sweet spot run.